THE Lake District is outperforming rival tourist destinations on loyalty and satisfaction, new research shows.

The survey undertaken by VisitEngland shows that 62 per cent of visitors to the region are satisfied, compared to the average of 48 per cent for tourist destinations across Britain.

'Beautiful' was the word most commonly associated with the Lake District, with 84 per cent of those surveyed choosing this word to describe it, compared to just 57 per cent for other British destinations.

Ben Berry, of English Lakes Hotels, said that he was particularly pleased that the usage of hotels in the Lake District was up by 31 per cent in comparison to other countryside destinations.

"The Lake District does particularly well on hotels because we have an amazing catalogue of high quality properties that serve up experiences our guests simply cannot get elsewhere in the UK," he said. "As an industry we are continually looking upwards and we now need to ensure we capture those who aspire to five star accommodation.

"We already have the five star Gilpin Hotel and Lake House which is soon to be joined by a renovated Low Wood Bay Resort and Spa ensuring that guests that come from across the world are catered for at all levels."

According to the research, the Lake District also attracts a younger audience than other countryside destinations, especially among 25-34 year

olds where it is up 21 per cent on both other countryside destinations and Great Britain as a whole.

Ian Stephens, managing director of Cumbria Tourism said that the research 'reinforced' the draw of the outstanding natural landscape in the Lake District.

"It’s encouraging to see that so many younger visitors - and people from the Capital - are picking the Lakes as their countryside destination of choice," he said. "What we need to do as a tourism sector is keep drumming home the message that the Lake District, Cumbria, is an all-year round destination.

"It’s also important that businesses continue to invest in developing first-class customer service and ‘welcome’ training for their staff, to deliver the best possible visitor experience."